Thoughts on Thoreau

"I went to the woods to live deliberately...I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life...and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Matthew Kelly quotes the great trancendentalist to illustrate the need for the forest in our daily lives. If we have not set aside a place or a time in which we can leave the cacaphony of daily life, we cannot ever truly find peace. And without peace the soul is ever restless leading us to another famous conclusion that, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation," which very well may be Thoreau as well. Another that springs to mind comes from a saint who spoke the truth: "My heart will not rest until it rests in you Lord."

What is our idea of leisure today? We often plunk ourselves down in front of the television or computer and call it a break. Still, what sort of effects do these breaks have upon us? There is room for such things in our lives, but to truly be recharged I must agree with Kelly that we must hearken to the classroom of silence in our lives. Whether we find an empty room or truly find a place in God's natural forest outdoors, we need this solitude, and in it the Lord can speak volumes to us. However still I think that we can go too far. My previous blog discusses the words of Thomas Merton. There are some who think he went too far, and I would tentatively agree with them. For a successful, fulfilling life is not achieved by simply focusing on one aspect. To become most fully alive, we must learn to do all things well. Eat well, sleep well, speak well, read well, pray well, and love well. On top of these come our ambitions, those pursuits that we take on with the wealth of talents and skills the Lord has bestowed upon us. Life is truly a harmony, and when all elements are in sync, we can truly find our point of actualization. A point from which we are so at peace, and in such harmony with ourselves, that we can literally choose whatever we desire from this life. And beautifully so, we cannot have reached this moment without a relationship with the Lord, and so in our finest hour of greatest potential, we will put our lives to His purposes on this earth.

For truly man's pursuits are worth nothing unless they draw him ever nearer to his Creator and Lord. Would that we would find the value of silence in our own lives in order that we can accomplish all that of which we are capable, and then put our awesome powers in the hands of God!!!

Reflections on the thoughts of Merton

"No writings on the solitary, meditative dimensions of life can say anything that has not already been said better by the wind in the pine trees." I have longed to find words that would hit this point as clearly as these of Thomas Merton. In all my quandaries, writings, and prayers, I always realize that I am only striving to put the eternal truth into the words of the English language. By the grace of God I have been granted the ability to do so fairly well, and it is only for that reason that my words seem to carry so much weight and clarity. However it is the very fact that we have all realized these truths before, or at least understand them in our heart of hearts, that makes them seem to ring so profoundly. The truth cuts to the very core of who we are, and there our vulnerabilities and fears can to a degree subside and we can really speak to one another. Yet who among us has not gone into the wilderness and discovered the same pervading peace and truth in God's creation, that can be found in the words of our world's most profound thinker? Matthew Kelly speaks of the "classroom of silence" and the importance of silence and solitude in finding life's rhythm. Thoreau went to the woods to live deliberately; Frost compares our life journey to a stroll through the woods; so many wise men who preceded us have discovered this truth. In the next life I believe that we will all speak the same language...we will understand life and death simply by being and experiencing the realities of existence.

Please don't think that I use this as a reason to stop writing or thinking about spiritual or meditative matters; I only want to pass along the truth that we all possess the capacity to discover profound truths inside ourselves, and in the nature of the world that surrounds us. I think it is all the reason to keep searching, for we stand upon the shoulders of those who preceded us in all ventures. Thus the wise men of the past have built a foundation upon which we can build in our quest to learn the true nature of this world, as well as that of the one to come. I think the Lord has constructed a grand puzzle and it is our challenge to put it together, always knowing the truth that we can never fully complete the work, until He supplies the remaining pieces for us upon our advent to paradise!

Tripping

People talk about travel, a lot. How incredible it is to experience different cultures, how it changes you and makes you a better person. I agree in many ways, but I also have this to offer...it is not what we do but whom we do it with. As one of my best friends says, you can tell the true nature of a man by the character of his friends. This is one of the greatest truths I have yet discovered. Who was one of the last persons to see Jesus before He died? John the Beloved, his friend. If I can pass on one condensed piece of advice, I would say this: take care of your friends, love them, work to get to know them and serve them, and they will be there in your time of need. God is good, and it is through our friends that we get a taste of what awaits us above.

Thank you to all of you who have been there for me, I now recommit myself to serving and loving you. May God bless and keep you all, and if you ever need anything, let me know. I love you guys!